The present invention relates to gaming, and in particular, to managing a progressive jackpot.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Blackjack, also known as twenty-one, is a widely played casino game. Blackjack is a comparing card game between a player and dealer, meaning that players compete against the dealer but not against any other players. It is played with one or more decks of 52 cards, or with an augmented deck of cards containing any number of cards that may even include jokers. The deck is made up of primarily four different suits, hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs. The object of the game is to beat the dealer, which can be done in a number of ways, get 21 points on the player's first two cards (called a blackjack), without a dealer blackjack; reach a final score higher than the dealer without exceeding 21; or let the dealer draw additional cards until the dealers hand exceeds 21.
The player or players are dealt an initial two-card hand and add together the value of their cards. Face cards kings, queens, and jacks are counted as ten points. A player and the dealer can count his or her own ace as 1 point or 11 points. All other cards are counted as the numeric value shown on the card. After receiving their initial two cards, players have the option of getting a hit, or taking an additional card. In a given round, the player or the dealer wins by having a score of 21 or by having the highest score that is less than 21. Scoring higher than 21, called busting that results in a loss. A player may win by having any final score equal to or less than 21 if the dealer busts. If a player holds an ace valued as 11, the hand is called soft, meaning that the player cannot go bust by taking an additional card; 11 plus the value of any other card will always be less than or equal to 21. Otherwise, the hand is hard. The dealer has to take hits until his or her cards total 17 or more points. If the player's and dealer's hands tie, it is called a push and the player typically does not win or lose money on that hand.
Many rule variations of Blackjack exist along with side wagers or jackpots. A jackpot is a side wager that wins when a particular hand is dealt suited or unsuited. Example of a Blackjack jackpot when using multiple decks is when the player is dealt two seven of hearts, takes a hit (receiving another card), and receives another seven of hearts for a total of 21 made using three seven of hearts; and in the same hand the dealer is dealt two eight of spades and draws a third eight of spades (since the dealer would be required to hit the hand because the dealer must hit to 17).
Pai Gow Poker is another widely played casino game. The cards are shuffled, and then dealt to the table in seven face-down piles of seven cards per pile, with four cards left over. Betting positions are assigned a number from 1 to 7, starting with whichever player is acting as banker that hand, and counting counter-clockwise around the table. A number from 1 to 7 is randomly chosen either electronically or manually with dice, then the deal begins with the corresponding position and proceeds counter-clockwise. One common way of using dice to determine the dealer starting number is to roll three six-sided dice, and then count betting spots clockwise from the first position until the number on the dice is reached. The player forms a two card hand and a five card (better) hand using standard poker rankings. The joker plays as completely wild or used to complete a straight or flush if possible; otherwise it is an ace.
There are a number of variations of Pai Gow Poker that are popular in casinos today. Pai Gow Mania was the first variation to be created; it allows for two side bets instead of the traditional one side bet per hand. Fortune Pai Gow is another variation; it allows players to make a side bet on a poker hand ranking of trips or better. This is one of the most popular variations. Similar to Fortune Pai Gow, is Emperor's Challenge, which also allows a side bet on a 7 card pai gow (no hand). The final variation of the game developed was Pai Gow Progressive, which is the addition of a progressive jackpot to the pai gow table. This jackpot is the combined of $1 side bets placed by players during the play.
In Baccarat, cards have a point value: Cards 2-9 are worth their face value in points; 10s, Js, Qs and Ks have no point value i.e. are worth zero; Aces are worth 1 point; and jokers are not used in the game of Baccarat. Hands are valued according to the rightmost digit of the sum of their constituent cards: For example, a hand consisting of 2 and 3 is worth 5, but a hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth 3 (i.e. the 3 being the rightmost digit in the combined points total: 13). The highest possible hand value in baccarat is 9.
There are several variants of Baccarat and Baccarat jackpots. For example, the Dragon side bet for EZ Baccarat wins and pays 40-to-1 if the dealer's three-card total of 7 beats the player, otherwise the bet loses.
Currently each type of casino wagering game has its own exclusive jackpot, meaning a Blackjack jackpot is separate from a Pai Gow Poker jackpot etc.